Ponniyin Selvan to Naane Varuven: Films from the south you can catch this weekend

Ponniyin Selvan-1

Directed by Mani Ratnam and produced by him along with Subaskaran of Lyca Productions, Ponniyin Selvan-1, is about the early years of Arunmozhivarman, better known as the Chola emperor, Raja Raja Chola. Set in the tenth century, PS-1 is the first of two films adapted from the same-titled 1955 novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy. Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prabhu, Sarathkumar, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Rahman, and R Parthiban are among the cast members.

PS-1 is the first Tamil movie to be released in IMAX, a 70 mm motion picture film format where the image width is bigger than the image height. This one, released on more than 650 screens in Tamil Nadu, got favourable reviews from both critics and viewers. The number of theatres for Ponniyin Selvan-1 is expected to rise, as a result of the underwhelming reception that Dhanush's Naane Varuven received. The second instalment of the Mani Ratnam directorial, which is in the post-production phase, will hit the screens in the second half of 2023.

Naane Varuven

Scripted by Dhanush himself, Naane Varuven is directed by Selvaraghavan. Apart from sharing credits in the writing, the brothers act together for the first time. Billed as a psychological thriller, this one features Dhanush in a dual role. Indhuja Ravichandran, Elli AvRam, Prabhu, Yogi Babu and Shelly Kishore essay other pivotal roles. Naane Varuven reunites the trio; Selvaraghavan, Dhanush, and Yuvan Shankar Raja, for the first time in 16 years.

Every project that Dhanush and Selvaraghavan collaborated thus far went on to either become superhits or critically acclaimed films. Therefore, fans had great expectations of Naane Varuven, which is bankrolled by Kalaipuli S Thanu's V Creations.

777 Charlie

A beautiful and loving relationship is shown between a pet named Charlie and the lead character Dharma, played by Rakshit, as well as a talented cast that includes Sangeetha Sringeri, Raj B. Shetty, and Danish Sait, in the film, which was produced by Paramvah Studios. With humour, adventure, unwavering devotion, and a roller coaster of emotions, the movie shows how Charlie gives Dharma's routine existence meaning.

“777 Charlie has been a very emotionally fulfilling project. Since there are not many movies around this story plot, I endeavoured to make a movie that will resonate with pet lovers across the country,” director Kiranraj said.

“The film and my character Dharma is undeniably one of the biggest highlights of my career. Every emotion portrayed while shooting for 777 Charlie was natural and came straight from the heart. It will be an experience that I will cherish for years to come,” Rakshit Shetty said.

777 Charlie streams on Amazon Prime Video.

Captain

Set against the backdrop of the North East Border town, Arya plays the role of Captain Vetriselvan of the Indian Army. Written and directed by Shakti Soundar Rajan, the film has Aishwarya Lekshmi, Simran, Harish Uthaman, Kavya Shetty, Gokul Anand and Suresh Menon, in key roles.

Captain was produced by Think Studios, in association with Arya’s The Show People, and had a theatrical release on September 8. The film streams on Zee5.

Cobra

Featuring Vikram in the lead, Cobra, directed by Ajay Gnanamuthu, is streaming on SonyLIV. The psychological thriller, produced by SS Lalit Kumar under 7 Screen Studio, was released on 31 August and received mixed reviews.

Cobra marks the acting debut of cricketer Irfan Pathan. The supporting cast includes Srinidhi Shetty, Roshan Mathew, KS Ravikumar, Anandaraj, Robo Shankar, Mia George, Mirnalini Ravi, Sarjano Khalid, and Meenakshi Govindarajan.

The film, which has music composed by Oscar-winner AR Rahman, begins with the Interpol officers hot on the heels of a mysterious assassin who kills people using his mathematical skills.

Cobra was filmed in some exotic locales, including Russia, Kerala, and Kolkata. Kalaignar TV purchased the film's satellite rights.

Thothapuri Chapter 1

The satire, directed by Vijaya Prasad of Baahubali-fame, was released along with Rishab Shetty’s Kantara. The actor-director, who had earlier grabbed attention with Neer Dose, is back with Totapuri, which is said to be made on a big budget. Thothapuri was shot on a 100-day schedule and will be out in two parts.

Apart from Jaggesh, the film features Dhananjay, Aditi Prabhudeva, Suman Ranganath, Veena Sundar and Dattanna.

While the music is composed by Anoop Seelin, KA Suresh, who produced hit films Govindaya Namah, Shravani Subramanya, and Shivalinga, bankrolled this one, under the Moniflix Studios banner.

Kantara

Rishab Shetty has always tried to push himself to do things outside of his comfort zone, whether as a filmmaker or an actor. Even though Kantara was designed to evoke senses of mystique, thrill, and unpredictability, what captivated Rishab the most was the film’s emotional core. His curiosity was piqued by the 1990s dispute between the locals and the forest officers. Out of that, the one-line developed, and the makers built the characters and the plot around it.

“It is a film from our land, from our roots, stories that are heard through generations, untapped and deeply rooted to our culture,” said Rishab, who believes that the more regional a story, the more global it can get.

Produced by Vijay Kirangandur’s Hombale Films, Kantara consists of an ensemble cast that has Kishore, Sapthami Gowda, Prakash Thuminad, Pramod Shetty, and Achyuth Kumar in supporting roles.

Mei Hoom Moosa

Directed by Jibu Jacob, Mei Hoom Moosa, is Suresh Gopi's 253rd movie. The story, screenplay, and dialogues were all written by Rubesh Rain. Other notable actors who play significant roles include Poonam Bajwa, Srinda, Saiju Kurup, Hareesh Kanaran, and Major Ravi.

The technical team consists of editor Sooraj ES, composer Sreenadh Sivasankaran, and cinematographer Vishnu Narayanan. Sajjad, Rafeeq Ahammed, and BK Harinarayanan wrote the songs' lyrics.

Locations including Kargil, Wagah Border, Poonch, Delhi, Jaipur, Ponnani, and Malappuram were used to film Mei Hoom Moosa.

Rudraveena

Featuring Shreeram Nimmala, Subhasree, Elsa Ghosh and Sonia Satya in the lead roles, this revenge thriller, directed by Madhusudhan Reddy, was released on September 30, in theatres.